Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival

Best alcohol-free drinks and where to find them

Saturday 20th July

11 am to 5pm

Spitalfields Market, London, E1

Club Soda, the mindful drinking movement, is once again holding the UK's only festival for the sober curious this summer, at its favourite east London hangout. Spitalfields Market.

Since the first festival launched in the summer of 2017, the mindful drinking scene has grown substantially and the demand for low and no alcohol drinks is ever increasing. Seven million people in the UK are sober curious1, and sales of adult low and no alcohol drinks are at an all time high2

With that in mind, Club Soda will be showcasing 40 of the best tasting adult-orientated drinks brands in the industry, some recognisable from previous events and others which are brand new. Many of the drink producers are London based - including millennials making drinks for their peers and new women innovators. The event is expected to attract over 5,000 fans, from the sober curious and mums-to-be, to foodies and fitness fanatics.

Club Soda supports individuals to rethink their drinking habits, has built an online guide featuring the best pubs and bars for mindful drinkers, and curates the best alcohol-free drinks at the Mindful Drinking Festivals. The movement already has 35,000 members who are actively changing their drinking habits.

Visitors will get the chance to taste the new wave of alcohol-free drinks including beers, spirits, wines, kombuchas, shrubs, elixirs and a whole host of delicious cocktails invented by radical alchemists, before soaking up the sunshine in a deck chair to enjoy live DJ sets from London's musical talent.

Sponsors include Lindeman's Wines, Big Drop Brewing Co, CEDER'S Alt-Gin and The British Soft Drinks Association. There will be launches, tastings and surprises from both festival sponsors and new craft producers alike - there's something for everyone and for every occasion.

The Festival will feature:

• Zero to 0.5% abv drinks; beers, wines, ciders, cocktails, 'spirits' and adult soft drinks.
• Tasting sessions and drinks tours from producers and experts, including cocktail masterclasses in partnership with La Maison Wellness.
• Free samples of some of the newest and most exciting drinks available.

Club Soda co-founder Laura Willoughby MBE, said:

“We have been running Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement, for four years. And the most popular question we get asked is about what to drink instead of alcohol?

“Not only have we built up an amazing knowledge of the range of drinks out there, but we are also witnessing the explosion in the number of great tasting, well-crafted alcohol-free drinks.

“New alcohol-free beers, wines and ciders are making their way into pubs, healthy alternatives like kombucha and herbal infusions are becoming mainstream, and even Tesco now has an easy to find, well stocked alcohol-free drinks aisle.

“Our Mindful Drinking Festivals are about bringing some of our favourite drinks into one place for everyone to try. Whether you are on a health kick, moderating your drinking habits, pregnant or trying, or just a bit sober curious, this is your chance to find a new favourite tipple.”

The Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival is hosted by Spitalfields Market in east London, on Saturday 20th July from 11am to 5pm.

-ENDS-

Contact: For interviews with Club Soda co-founder Laura Willoughby MBE and case studies, please contact jo@joinclubsoda.co.uk or call 07946 454244.

NOTES:

1. One in five UK adults are alcohol-free (20.9% of the UK adult population - ONS statistics from May 2017). This trend is led by the younger generation, the first to choose to drink less alcohol than their predecessors.
2. Low and no alcohol drinks are growing in popularity. £43 million spent on low and no-alcohol beer in the past year – that's equivalent to 12.2 million pints - and £40 million spent on low on no-alcohol wine. [Neilsen, 12 months to August 2018]
3. A full press pack with everything you need for background, photos, case studies, facts and figures can be found here: https://mindfuldrinkingfestival.com/press and pictures from last summer can be found here and are free to use.
4. What is Mindful Drinking? Hell, we are not sticks in the mud! You could be on a diet, cutting down on booze, or just not drinking tonight, but still want to have something nice to pair with your meal. https://mindfuldrinkingfestival.com/mindful-drinking
5. Club Soda is a mindful drinking movement that helps people change their drinking, whether they want to do a sober sprint, drink more mindfully, or go alcohol-free. Visit joinclubsoda.co.uk – we are available for quotes, case studies, information and advice for your articles all year round.